FOLD-OUT SHELVING UNIT MADE OF CARDBOARD OR A SIMILAR MATERIAL
The fold-out shelving unit comprises a rear panel (1), side panels (2) movable between a folded position, wherein said panels are coplanar, and an expanded position, wherein the side panels (2) are perpendicular to the rear panel (1), a moving support panel (3) extending from one to the other of the side panels (2) and a shelf panel (4) foldable over the rear panel (1). The support panel (3) and the shelf panel (4) are cinematically linked to one another and to the side panels (2) by first and second cinematic linking means so that the support panel (3) gets closer and away parallel to the rear panel (1) and the shelf panel (4) pivots relative to the rear panel (1) when the side panels (2) move between the folded position and the expanded position.
The present invention relates to fold-out shelving unit made of cardboard or a similar material, such as corrugated cardboard, corrugated plastic, lightweight cardboard, etc. The fold-out shelving unit of the present invention is useful, for instance, as a sales stand to display goods at a sales point and, therefore, it comprises one or more shelves capable of holding up goods, including relatively heavy articles, such as books, preserve tins or jars, bottles, etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONInternational patent application WO-A-2009037368 describes a self-expanding, foldable structure for a shelved sales stand, made of cardboard or a similar material, that comprises a main piece defining a rear panel and side panels hingedly attached to side edges opposite said rear panel, wherein the side panels can be moved between a folded position, wherein said side panels and the rear panel are substantially parallel or coplanar, and an expanded position, wherein the side panels are substantially perpendicular to the rear panel. The shelving unit includes shelf panels, each having a rear edge hingedly attached to the rear panel so that it can be moved between a folded position, wherein the shelf panel is substantially parallel to the rear panel and the side panels when the latter are in the folded position, and an expanded position, wherein the shelf panel forms trihedral angles with the rear panel and the side panels when the latter are in the expanded position. The shelf panels are connected to the side panels by means of linking panels establishing a cinematic linkage between the side walls and the shelf panels and supporting the shelf panels on their side edges in the expanded position. A number of elastic members are arranged to push the side walls towards the expanded position.
Said cinematic linkage causes a movement of any of the panels to be automatically communicated to the remaining panels. Thus, when the elastic members move the side panels from the folded position towards the expanded position, the shelf panels are also automatically moved towards the expanded position, and, when the side panels are manually moved from the expanded position towards the folded position against the force of the elastic members, the shelf panels are also automatically moved towards the folded position.
One drawback of the linking panels described in said international patent application WO-A-2009037368 is that, in the expanded position, they only support the shelf panels by their side edges, and this entails the risk of the shelf panels sagging or failing under the weight of the articles arranged on top, unless the shelf panels are made of the substantially stiff material or their front edges are reinforced with fins or folds that add complexity to the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,623 discloses a fold-out shelving unit made of corrugated cardboard comprising a main piece defining a rear panel and side panels hingedly attached to side edges opposite said rear panel. The side panels can be moved between a folded position, wherein said side panels and the rear panel are substantially parallel or coplanar, and an expanded position, wherein the side panels are substantially perpendicular to the rear panel. Support panels extend from one to the other of the side panels that are obtained by a number of cuts in said main piece and adopt a substantially parallel position and separate from the rear panel when the shelving unit is in said expanded position. The shelving unit includes shelf panels, each having a rear edge hingedly attached to the rear panel so that it can be moved between a folded position, wherein the shelf panel is substantially parallel to the rear panel and the side panels when the latter are in the folded position, and an expanded position, wherein the shelf panel forms trihedral angles with the rear panel and the side panels when the latter are in the expanded position. When the shelf panels are in the expanded position, their front regions are supported along their entire width by the support panels.
One drawback of said U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,623 is that it does not comprise a cinematic linkage between the panels embedded in the main piece and the shelf panels, so that, in order to move the shelving unit from the expanded position to the folded position, it is necessary, firstly, to individually fold the shelf panels and keep them in the folded position before the side and support panels can be folded. In addition, this makes it impossible or fairly complex to incorporate elastic members arranged to push the shelving unit towards the expanded position so that the fold-out shelving unit is self-expanding.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention contributes to alleviate the above and other drawbacks by providing fold-out shelving unit made of cardboard or a similar material, comprising a rear panel and side panels hingedly attached to opposite side edges of said rear panel so that they can be moved between a folded position, wherein said side panels and the rear panel are substantially parallel or coplanar, and an expanded position, wherein the side panels are substantially perpendicular to the rear panel. In addition, the shelving unit comprises at least one support panel extending from one to the other of the side panels in a position substantially parallel to the rear panel (1), and separate therefrom, in said expanded position, and at least one shelf panel movably attached to the rear panel and/or to the side panels so that it can be moved between a folded position, wherein said shelf panel is substantially parallel to the rear panel and to the side panels when the latter are in the folded position, and an expanded position, wherein the shelf panel forms trihedral angles with the rear panel and with the side panels when the latter are in the expanded position, and is directly or indirectly supported by said support panel. Retention means are arranged to keep the rear, side and support panels in the expanded position.
The support panel is cinematically linked to the side panels by first cinematic linking means so that the support panel gets closer and away parallel to the rear panel when the side panels move between the folded position and the expanded position, and the shelf panel is cinematically linked to the support panel by second cinematic linking means so that the shelf panel pivots relative to the rear panel when the support panel moves between the folded position and the expanded position.
Said second cinematic linking means comprise at least one cinematic linking panel having a first edge hingedly attached to the support panel and an opposite second edge hingedly attached to the shelf panel in a position between the support panel and the rear panel when they are in the expanded position. In one embodiment, the shelf panel and the cinematic linking panel are formed as one single cardboard piece having a transverse hinge, so that, in the expanded position, the shelf panel and the cinematic linking panel are arranged coplanarily in a horizontal position, jointly offering a complete shelf. Said transverse hinge is preferably provided by a V-cut which does not affect the underside of the single cardboard piece.
In an embodiment, the first cinematic linking means comprise connection panels having a first edge hingedly attached to each side end of the support panel and a second edge hingedly attached to each side panel in a position between the support panel and the rear panel when they are in the expanded position. In another alternative embodiment, each side panel comprises a longitudinal folding line substantially parallel to the corresponding side edge of the rear panel and located between the support panel and the rear panel when they are in the expanded position, and the side edges of the support panel are hingedly attached to the side panels on or near their free front edges.
One of the shelves located on the bottom region of the shelving unit can form a pedestal, in which case the corresponding support panel preferably extends from the shelf panel to the floor or support surface on which the shelving unit rests in the expanded position. Between the shelf panel and the floor or support surface, there is a foldable support structure arranged that comprises two or more vertical structure panels hingedly attached to one another. One of said structure panels is hingedly attached to one of the rear, side and support panels, and another of the structure panels is hingedly attached to another of the rear, side and support panels, so that the foldable support structure is moved between a folded position and an expanded position along with the rear, side and support panels when the latter are moved between the folded position and the expanded position.
The structure panels have top edges and bottom edges and their height is selected so that said top edges are arranged to support the shelf panel, whereas said bottom edges are arranged to rest on the floor or support surface. Thus, thanks to the vertical structure panels, the shelf panel is capable of holding up heavy articles even though the fold-out shelving unit is entirely made of corrugated cardboard or a similar material.
Optionally, one or more elastic members, such as annular rubber bands, are arranged to push the rear, side and support panels towards the expanded position and keep them therein. Thus, thanks to the elastic member or members, the fold-out shelving unit is self-expanding, since it is automatically expanded from the folded position to the expanded position, whereas the folding from the expanded position to the folded position is carried out manually against the force of the elastic members. Alternatively, since the panels are cinematically linked, the expansion and the folding can be carried out manually with ease, and alternative retention means, elastic or otherwise, can be used to keep them in the expanded position.
Preferably, the rear panel and the side panels comprise at least one transversal folding line substantially perpendicular to the side edges of the rear panel so that the shelving unit can be moved from the folded position to a compact folded position by bending the rear panel and the side panels along said transversal folding line. If the folded shelving unit is self-expanding through the incorporation of elastic members, said compact folded position is stable, since the fold along the transversal folding line keeps the elastic means from moving the shelving unit from the compact folded position to the expanded position. The unfolding from the compact folded position must be manually initiated until the point is reached from which the elastic means actuate and the expansion to the expanded position is automatically carried out in a few seconds.
In order to get the transversal folding line to form a spine of a desired width, this comprises two mutually parallel first complementary folding lines separated by a first distance. If the material is corrugated cardboard or a similar material, each first complementary folding line comprises, in at least one section of its length, a partial cut-off line on an outer side of the panel and a folding line on the opposite, inner side of the panel. In some places, one or more of the rear and side panels have a multilayered region, wherein the transversal folding line comprises two mutually parallel second complementary folding lines separated by a second distance smaller than said first distance. Each second complementary folding line comprises a partial cut-off line on an outer side of the multilayered region of the panel and a folding line on the opposite, inner side. The first and second complementary folding lines are bounded by a complete transversal cut-off line. Said second distance is approximately equal to the first distance minus two times the thickness of the additional layer or layers of said multilayered region.
In an embodiment, on the shelf panel there is a stepped structure comprising one or more stepped shelf panels and one or more stepped support panels hingedly attached to each other. All the stepped support panels have a bottom edge hingedly attached to the shelf panel, whereas the top stepped shelf panel has a rear edge hingedly attached to the rear panel. Obviously, the stepped structure might comprise one single step with one stepped shelf panel and one stepped support panel.
The above and other characteristics and advantages will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
With reference, firstly, to
Although it is not imperative, the rear and side panels 1, 2 are preferably made of one single piece, the hinged attachment therebetween comprising folding lines including split lines, partial cut-off lines or combinations of both. In addition, the rear and side panels 1, 2 preferably comprise a transversal folding line 15 substantially perpendicular to the side edges of the rear panel 1 that allows folding the rear panel 1 and the side panels 2 from the folded position to a compact folded position, as will be described in further detail below.
In addition, the shelving unit of
Each shelf panel 4 is associated to a support panel 3 that, in the expanded position, extends from one to the other of the side panels 2 in a position substantially parallel to the rear panel 1, and separate therefrom. This support panel 3 is cinematically linked to the side panels 2 by first cinematic linking means so that the support panel 3 gets closer and away parallel to the rear panel 1 when the side panels 2 move between the folded position and the expanded position. In the embodiment of
In order to facilitate the movements of the fold-out shelving unit between the folded and expanded positions, the distance between the front and rear edges of the connection panel 6 is equal to the distance between the front edge of the connection panel 6 and the rear edge of the corresponding side panel 2 attached to the side edge of the rear panel 1. In general, the side panels 2 open outwardly to transition from the expanded position to the folded position.
In addition, the shelf panel 4 is cinematically linked to the support panel 3 by second cinematic linking means so that the shelf panel 4 pivots relative to the rear panel 1 when the support panel 3 moves between the folded position and the expanded position. In the embodiment of
With this construction, all the panels of the fold-out shelving unit are cinematically linked to each other, so that the movement of any of them causes the movement of the others. By optionally arranging one or more elastic members 14, such as, for instance, annular rubber bands, so that they will push the rear, side, support and shelf panels 1, 2, 3, 4 towards the expanded position, the foldable sales stand further becomes self-expanding, that is, capable of expanding automatically from the folded position to the expanded position.
In the embodiment of
Obviously, the force exerted by the elastic members 14 is used, in addition, to keep the panels of the fold-out shelving unit in the expanded position. In order to prevent the relaxation effect that the annular rubber bands can experience when they are kept under tension for a long period of time, it may be convenient to install two or more annular rubber bands associated to each shelf panel, each individual annular rubber band being subject to a smaller tension than if there was only one. Alternatively, if the fold-out shelving unit is not self-expanding, other retention means, elastic or otherwise, are foreseen in order to keep the rear, side, support and shelf panels 1, 2, 3, 4 in the expanded position, such as, for instance, one or more surrounding bands or a skirting board in which the bottom regions of the rear and side panels 1, 2 are inserted.
In
The shelf panel 4 is likewise made of one piece of corrugated cardboard or a similar material having a folding line defining a fastening fin 4a adjacent to its rear edge for the hinged attachment of the shelf panel 4 to the rear panel 1. Lastly, the cinematic linking panel 5 is made of one corresponding piece of corrugated cardboard or a similar material having a couple of folding lines defining fastening fins 5a, 5b adjacent to its front and rear edges for the hinged attachment of the cinematic linking panel 5 to the support panel 3 and to the shelf panel 4, respectively. For instance, the attachment of the various fastening fins to the respective panels is carried out by bonding.
As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
The result is a fold-out shelving unit with a base provided with a shelf panel 4 of noticeable larger dimensions that the one of the fold-out shelving unit shown in
In an operational situation (
As shown in
For instance, from the opposite side edges of the support panel 3 there extend fastening fins 3a for the hinged attachment to side panels, and in the free ends of said fastening fins 3a hooking members 3b (
In the embodiment shown in
In order to facilitate the folding of the two-layered region 2a without the occurrence of crushing and tearing, the transversal folding line 15 comprises, in the single-layered regions 2, two mutually parallel first complementary folding lines 15a, 15b separated by a first distance d1, and, in the two-layered regions 2a, two mutually parallel first complementary folding lines 15c, 15d separated by a second distance d2 smaller than said first distance d1. Each of said first complementary folding lines 15a, 15b comprises, in at least one section of its length, a partial cut-off line on an outer side of the panel (
The fold can alternatively provide a region with a thickness of more than two layers, or the region of two or more layers can be formed by overlaid, bonded layers of corrugated cardboard or a similar material without the presence of a fold, the technique described in connection with
The transversal folding line 15 including the first and second complementary folding lines 15a, 15b; 15c, 15d and the complete transversal cut-off line 16 are compatible with other longitudinal folding lines 24, including split lines, partial cut-off lines or combinations of both, such as, for instance, the folding lines connecting the rear panel 1 with the side panels 2.
A skilful artisan will understand that additional further steps can be added, each of them with one corresponding additional stepped shelf panel 18a with a rear edge hingedly attached to the additional adjacent stepped support panel 19a and an additional stepped support 19a with a top edge hingedly attached to the front edge of the additional stepped shelf and a bottom edge hingedly attached to the shelf panel 4. With this construction, irrespective of the number of steps, the stepped structure 17 can be moved from a folded position to an expanded position along with the rear, side, support and shelf panels 1, 2, 3, 4 of the fold-out shelving unit when they are moved between the folded position and the expanded position.
In the embodiment of
In addition, in the front edges of the top and front reinforcement fins 28, 29, there are formed notches 31 having horizontal bottom edges 31a (
Said reinforcement panel 32 has the same dimensions as the shelf panel 4, which greatly facilitates the positioning of the third piece 35 in the bonding operations. Once bonded, the reinforcement panel 32 provides a global reinforcement of the shelf panel 4 and, in addition, acts as the fastening fin 5b described above in connection with
The peculiarity of the embodiment shown in
Nevertheless, when the fold-out shelving unit is moved from the folded position to the compact folded position by bending the rear panel and the side panels 2 along said transversal folding line 15, said fins 39 can be bent inwards along the folding lines 38 and partially overlapped on the stepped structure 17, which is also being folded (
However, manually starting the lifting of the rear panel 1 suffices for the fins 39 to be freed and for the tension of the elastic member 14 to unleash the expansion of the support panel 3, the shelf panel 4 and the stepped structure 17. As will be understood, the behaviour of the fins 39 would be analogous even if the shelf panel 4 was not associated to the stepped structure 17.
The front edges of the side panels 2 are hingedly connected to front reinforcement fins 41 which in use are folded inwards and adhered to the inner surface of the side panels 2. Cuts in these front reinforcement fins 41 define front hooking members 42 connected to the front reinforcement fins 41 by vertical folding lines. Said front hooking members 42 are not adhered to the inner surface of the side panels 2 so that they can pivot about said folding lines.
The single cardboard piece 37 forming the shelf panel 4 and the linking panel 5 includes a rear fastening fin 4a hingedly connected to the rear edge of the shelf panel 4 and a front fastening fin 5a hingedly connected to the front edge of the linking panel 5. In use, said rear and front fastening fins 4a, 5a are adhered to the inner surface of the rear panel 1 and to the outer surface of the support panel 3, respectively. Cuts in the rear fastening fin 4a define rear hooking members 43 connected to the rear fastening fin 4a by folding lines. Said rear hooking members 43 are not adhered to the inner surface of the rear panel 1 so that they can pivot about said folding lines.
The adhesion of the rear fastening fin 4a to the rear panel 1 can optionally be reinforced by means of conventional plastic rivets or the like (not shown) installed in corresponding holes previously die-cut in the rear panel 1 and in the rear fastening fin 4a. These die-cut holes additionally help to the relative positioning of the rear panel 1 and the rear fastening fin 4a during the adhering operation when the fold-out shelving unit is initially assembled.
The elastic members 14 are for example annular rubber bands hooked to said front and rear hooking members 43, 43 in order to push the rear, side, support, shelf and linking panels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 towards the expanded position and to keep them therein. Thus, the risk of the fastening fins 6a, which connect the connecting panels 6 to the side panels 2 in the embodiment of
Another difference of the embodiment of
Preferably, as better shown in
A foldable support element 44 having the shape of a rhomboidal ring comprising hinged side walls 47 and rear and front flattened ends 45, 46 is arranged between the rear panel 1 and the support panel 3 below the shelf panel 4 and the linking panel 5. Said rear flattened end 45 of the foldable support element 44 is adhered to the rear fastening fin 4a which in turn is adhered to the rear panel 1, while the front flattened end 45 of the foldable support element 44 is adhered to the support panel 3, so that the foldable support element 44 is moved between folded and expanded positions together with the rear, side and support panels 1, 2, 3 of the fold-out shelving unit. The foldable support element 44 is dimensioned such that the shelf panel 4 and the linking panel 5 are additionally supported on upper edges of the side walls 47 thereof when the fold-out shelving unit is in the expanded position.
It is to be understood that the general construction of the embodiment shown in
From the shown and described exemplary embodiments, modifications and variations will occur to a skilful artisan without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the attached claims.
Claims
1. A fold-out shelving unit made of cardboard or a similar material comprising:
- a rear panel (1);
- side panels (2) hingedly attached to opposite side edges of said rear panel (1) so that they can be moved between a folded position, wherein said side panels (2) and the rear panel (1) are substantially parallel or coplanar, and an expanded position, wherein the side panels (2) are substantially perpendicular to the rear panel (1);
- at least one support panel (3) extending from one to the other of the side panels (2) in a position substantially parallel to the rear panel (1), and separate therefrom, in said expanded position; and
- at least one shelf panel (4) movably attached to the rear panel (1) and/or to the side panels so that it can be moved between a folded position, wherein said shelf panel (4) is substantially parallel to the rear panel (1) and to the side panels (2) when the latter are in the folded position, and an expanded position, wherein the shelf panel (4) forms trihedral angles with the rear panel (1) and with the side panels (2) when the latter are in the expanded position, and is supported by said support panel (3);
- characterised in that the support panel (3) is cinematically linked to the side panels (2) by first cinematic linking means so that the support panel (3) gets closer and away parallel to the rear panel (1) when the side panels (2) move between the folded position and the expanded position, and the shelf panel (4) is cinematically linked to the support panel (3) by second cinematic linking means so that the shelf panel (4) pivots relative to the rear panel (1) when the support panel (3) moves between the folded position and the expanded position.
2. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein said second cinematic linking means comprise at least one cinematic linking panel (5) having a first edge hingedly attached to the support panel (3) and an opposite second edge hingedly attached to the shelf panel (4) in a position between the support panel (3) and the rear panel (1) when they are in the expanded position.
3. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 2, wherein said first cinematic linking means comprise connection panels (6) having a first edge hingedly attached to each side end of the support panel (3) and a second edge hingedly attached to each side panel (2) in a position between the support panel (3) and the rear panel (1) when they are in the expanded position.
4. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 2, wherein said first cinematic linking means comprise, in each side panel (2), a longitudinal folding line (7) substantially parallel to the corresponding side edge of the rear panel (1) and located between the support panel (3) and the rear panel (1) when they are in the expanded position, wherein side edges of the support panel (3) are hingedly attached to the side panels (2) on or near their free edges.
5. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein the shelf panel (4) has a longitude from its rear edge to its front edge selected so that a front region thereof is supported by a top edge of the support panel (3) when they are in the expanded position.
6. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein the shelf panel (4) has a longitude from its rear edge to its front edge selected so that a front region thereof is supported by a projection (8) protruding from the inner side of the support panel (3) when they are in the expanded position.
7. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 2, wherein said cinematic linking panel (5) forms an acute angle with the shelf panel (4) when they are in the expanded position so as to provide additional support to the shelf panel (4).
8. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 3, wherein said connection panels (6) are supported by respective projections (9) protruding from an inner side of the corresponding side panels (2) when they are in the expanded position.
9. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein a foldable support structure (10) is arranged between the shelf panel (4) and a support surface on which the shelving unit rests in the expanded position, said support structure (10) comprising at least two vertical structure panels (11, 12, 13a-13e) hingedly attached to one another and each being hingedly attached to at least one of the rear, side and support panels (1, 2, 3) so that the support structure (10) is moved between a folded position and an expanded position along with the rear, side and support panels (1, 2, 3) when the latter are moved between the folded position and the expanded position.
10. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 9, wherein said structure panels (11, 12, 13a-13e) have top edges arranged to support the shelf panel (4) and bottom edges arranged to rest on said support surface when they are in the expanded position.
11. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein retention means are arranged to keep the rear, side and support panels (1, 2, 3) in the expanded position.
12. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 11, wherein said retention means comprise at least one elastic member (14) arranged to push the rear, side and support panels (1, 2, 3) towards the expanded position and keep them therein.
13. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 12, wherein said elastic member (14) is arranged to pull the side panels (2) towards one another.
14. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 13, wherein the elastic member (14) is arranged adjacent to an underside of the shelf panel (4) when it is in the expanded position.
15. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 12, wherein the elastic member (14) is an annular rubber band.
16. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein the rear panel (1) and the side panels (2) comprise at least one transversal folding line (15) substantially perpendicular to the side edges of the rear panel (1) so that the shelving unit can be moved from the folded position to a compact folded position by bending the rear panel (1) and the side panels (2) along said transversal folding line (15).
17. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 16, wherein the transversal folding line (15) comprises two mutually parallel first complementary folding lines (15a, 15b) separated by a first distance (d1) selected so as to provide a spine of a desired width, wherein each first complementary folding line (15a, 15b) comprises, in at least one section of its length, a partial cut-off line on an outer side of the panel and a folding line on the opposite, inner side of the panel.
18. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the rear and side (2) panels has a multilayered region (2a), and the transversal folding line (15) comprises, in that multilayered region (2a), two mutually parallel second complementary folding lines (15c, 15d) separated by a second distance (d2) smaller than said first distance (d1), wherein each second complementary folding line (15c, 15d) comprises a partial cut-off line on an outer side of the multilayered region (2a) of the panel and a folding line on the opposite, inner side of the multilayered region (2a) of the panel.
19. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 18, wherein said first and second complementary folding lines (15a, 15b; 15c, 15d) are bounded by a complete transversal cut-off line (16).
20. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 18, wherein said second distance (d2) is approximately equal to the first distance (d1) minus two times the thickness of the additional layer or layers of said multilayered region (2a).
21. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein, on the shelf panel (4), there is a stepped structure (17) comprising at least one stepped shelf panel (18) with a rear edge hingedly attached to the rear panel (1), and a stepped support panel (19) with a top edge hingedly attached to said stepped shelf panel (18) and a bottom edge hingedly attached to the shelf panel (4), so that said stepped structure (17) can be moved between a folded position and an expanded position along with the rear, side, support and shelf panels (1, 2, 3, 4) when the latter are moved between the folded position and the expanded position.
22. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 21, further comprising at least one additional stepped shelf panel (18a) with a rear edge hingedly attached to the stepped support panel (19) or to another additional adjacent stepped support panel (19a) and an additional stepped support panel (19a) with a top edge hingedly attached to said additional stepped shelf panel (18a) and a bottom edge hingedly attached to the shelf panel (4).
23. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 2, wherein the shelf panel (4) and the cinematic linking panel (5) are formed as a single cardboard piece (37) provided with a transverse hinge, so that the shelf panel (4) and the cinematic linking panel (5) are arranged coplanarily, jointly forming a complete shelf in the expanded position.
24. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 21, wherein the side panels (2) include folding lines (38) parallel to the front vertical edges thereof, wherein a portion of the side panels (2) comprised between these folding lines (38) and said front vertical edges defines fins (39) that, in an expanded position, are arranged coplanarily with the rest of the respective side panels (2) and, in the compact folded position, are arranged partially overlapping the shelf panel (4) and the stepped structure (17), while a portion of the rear panel (1) is arranged partially overlapping the fins (39).
25. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 1, wherein the shelf panel (4) has a rear edge hingedly attached to the rear panel (1).
26. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 3, wherein retention means are arranged to keep the rear, side and support panels (1, 2, 3) in the expanded position, said retention means comprising two elastic members (14) each having one end connected to the rear panel (1) and another opposite end connected to a corresponding one of the side panels (2), with said elastic members (14) being passed through respective openings (40) formed in said connecting panels (6).
27. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 3, wherein front edges of the side panels (2) are hingedly connected to front reinforcement fins (41) which are folded inwards and adhered to an inner surface of the side panels (2), and front hooking members (42) non adhered to said inner surface of the side panels (2) are connected to said front reinforcement fins (41) by folding lines, wherein a single cardboard piece (37) forming the shelf panel (4) and a linking panel (5) connected to shelf panel (4) by a transverse hinge includes a rear fastening fin (4a) hingedly connected to a rear edge of the shelf panel (4) and a front fastening fin (5a) hingedly connected to a front edge of said linking panel (5), said rear and front fastening fins (4a, 5a) being adhered to the inner surface of the rear panel (1) and to the outer surface of the support panel (3), respectively, and rear hooking members (43) non adhered to the inner surface of the rear panel (1) are connected to the rear fastening fin (4a) by folding lines, and wherein each of said elastic members (14) is hooked to said front and rear hooking members (42, 43).
28. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 3, wherein a foldable support element (44) is arranged between the rear panel (1) and the support panel (3) below the shelf panel (4) and the linking panel (5), said foldable support element (44) having the shape of a rhomboidal ring with hinged side walls (47) and rear and front flattened ends (45, 46), with said rear flattened end (45) being adhered to the rear fastening fin (4a) which in turn is adhered to the rear panel (1), and with the front flattened end (45) adhered to the support panel (3), so that the foldable support element 44 is moved between folded and expanded positions together with the rear, side and support panels (1, 2, 3), the shelf panel (4) and the linking panel (5) being supported on upper edges of said side walls (47) of the foldable support element (44) when the fold-out shelving unit is in the expanded position.
29. The fold-out shelving unit according to claim 23, wherein said transverse hinge is provided by a V-cut (36) affecting only the top side of said single cardboard piece (37), said V-cut (36) having facing edges which lean on one another in the expanded position.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 7, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 16, 2014
Inventors: Ferran MESTRES ARMENGOL (Barcelona), Francisco LOPEZ FERNANDEZ (Barcelona)
Application Number: 13/708,668